Without water, you would be poisoned by your waste products
Jun 22, 2008
ARE you drinking enough water? If you are not, you could end up with excess body fat, poor muscle tone and digestive complications.Next to air, water is the element most necessary for survival. Water comprises 60-70% of an adult’s weight.
By Rachel Bahika
ARE you drinking enough water? If you are not, you could end up with excess body fat, poor muscle tone and digestive complications.Next to air, water is the element most necessary for survival. Water comprises 60-70% of an adult’s weight.
Blood is mostly water and your muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. Your body needs water to regulate body temperature and to transport nutrients to all your organs.
Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste and protects your organs. Water plays an important role in converting foods to energy, and eliminating toxins and wastes from the body. It is lost from the body through urine and sweat and must be replaced.
Many people, though, don’t consume enough and as a result may become dehydrated, causing headaches, fatigue and loss of concentration. Chronic dehydration can contribute to a number of health problems, such as constipation and kidney stones.
Though we can survive for almost two months without food, we can live only a few days without water. Although water contains no calories, it is essential, yet most people have no idea how much water they should drink.
“The minimum for a healthy person is eight to ten 200ml glasses of water a day,†says Dr John Fomum at International Medical Centre. “An adult should consume 2.5 litres of water per day. Of this, 1.8 litres — the equivalent of six to seven glasses of water per day — must be obtained from beverages.
This should be increased during periods of hot weather or during and after periods of physical activity.â€
Where do I get water?
The body gets its water from three sources: drinks, solid foods, especially fruits and vegetables and as a by-product of chemical reactions in the body.
Water is the major ingredient of all drinks: carbonated drinks are 65% water, diluted squashes are 86% water (after dilution) and fresh fruit juices are 90% water. But drinking plain water is still the most effective way of replacing lost fluids. Avoid chlorine and other contaminants by drinking boiled or filtered water.
Why must I drink water?
Often thirst is mistaken for hunger. Try drinking a glass of water before reaching for a snack. Also, what some people think are “hunger headaches†may actually be due to dehydration.
Further problems often develop when the sensation of thirst urges an intake of water, and instead, soda, coffee, or alcohol-containing beverages are taken to quench the thirst.
While these beverages contain water, they are dehydrating fluids. Not only do they eliminate the water contained in them, but they also cause you to lose more water from your body’s reserves!
If you get bored with plain water, add a bit of lemon or orange or lime juice for a touch of flavour. There are some brands of flavoured water, but watch for extra calories.
Your intake should be spread throughout the day. You may wonder: If I drink this much, won’t I constantly be running to the bathroom? Yes. But after a few weeks, your bladder adjusts and you urinate less frequently but in larger amounts.
By consuming those eight to 10 glasses of water during the day, you could be on your way to a healthier, leaner body. (Proper water intake helps in weight loss.
If those ho are trying to lose weight do not drink enough water, the body cannot breakdown fat adequately)
Without water, we would be poisoned to death by our own waste products. When the kidneys remove uric acid and urea, these must be dissolved in water.
If there is not enough water, wastes are not removed effectively and may build up as kidney stones.
Water is also vital for chemical reactions in digestion. It carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells through the blood and helps to cool the body through perspiration. Water also lubricates our joints.
We even need water to breathe: our lungs must be moist to take in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide.
So if you don’t drink sufficient water, you can impair every aspect of your physiology.
KEEPING HYDRATED
Start the day with a glass of water
Keep a jug of water at your desk to top up your glass during the day
When out and about, carry water with you
Take a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables; they have a high water content.
Abandon sugar-sweetened beverages. Substituting water for a 500ml sugar-sweetened soda will save you about 240 calories.
If you take alcohol, drink as much water as you do alcohol.
Avoid high sugar and high caffeine beverages because they can lead to increased urination
Although water is the major ingredient of all drinks, plain water is still the most effective way of replacing lost fluids.
The writer is a nutritionist
ARE you drinking enough water? If you are not, you could end up with excess body fat, poor muscle tone and digestive complications.Next to air, water is the element most necessary for survival. Water comprises 60-70% of an adult’s weight.
Blood is mostly water and your muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. Your body needs water to regulate body temperature and to transport nutrients to all your organs.
Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste and protects your organs. Water plays an important role in converting foods to energy, and eliminating toxins and wastes from the body. It is lost from the body through urine and sweat and must be replaced.
Many people, though, don’t consume enough and as a result may become dehydrated, causing headaches, fatigue and loss of concentration. Chronic dehydration can contribute to a number of health problems, such as constipation and kidney stones.
Though we can survive for almost two months without food, we can live only a few days without water. Although water contains no calories, it is essential, yet most people have no idea how much water they should drink.
“The minimum for a healthy person is eight to ten 200ml glasses of water a day,†says Dr John Fomum at International Medical Centre. “An adult should consume 2.5 litres of water per day. Of this, 1.8 litres — the equivalent of six to seven glasses of water per day — must be obtained from beverages.
This should be increased during periods of hot weather or during and after periods of physical activity.â€
Where do I get water?
The body gets its water from three sources: drinks, solid foods, especially fruits and vegetables and as a by-product of chemical reactions in the body.
Water is the major ingredient of all drinks: carbonated drinks are 65% water, diluted squashes are 86% water (after dilution) and fresh fruit juices are 90% water. But drinking plain water is still the most effective way of replacing lost fluids. Avoid chlorine and other contaminants by drinking boiled or filtered water.
Why must I drink water?
Often thirst is mistaken for hunger. Try drinking a glass of water before reaching for a snack. Also, what some people think are “hunger headaches†may actually be due to dehydration.
Further problems often develop when the sensation of thirst urges an intake of water, and instead, soda, coffee, or alcohol-containing beverages are taken to quench the thirst.
While these beverages contain water, they are dehydrating fluids. Not only do they eliminate the water contained in them, but they also cause you to lose more water from your body’s reserves!
If you get bored with plain water, add a bit of lemon or orange or lime juice for a touch of flavour. There are some brands of flavoured water, but watch for extra calories.
Your intake should be spread throughout the day. You may wonder: If I drink this much, won’t I constantly be running to the bathroom? Yes. But after a few weeks, your bladder adjusts and you urinate less frequently but in larger amounts.
By consuming those eight to 10 glasses of water during the day, you could be on your way to a healthier, leaner body. (Proper water intake helps in weight loss.
If those ho are trying to lose weight do not drink enough water, the body cannot breakdown fat adequately)
Without water, we would be poisoned to death by our own waste products. When the kidneys remove uric acid and urea, these must be dissolved in water.
If there is not enough water, wastes are not removed effectively and may build up as kidney stones.
Water is also vital for chemical reactions in digestion. It carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells through the blood and helps to cool the body through perspiration. Water also lubricates our joints.
We even need water to breathe: our lungs must be moist to take in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide.
So if you don’t drink sufficient water, you can impair every aspect of your physiology.
KEEPING HYDRATED
Start the day with a glass of water
Keep a jug of water at your desk to top up your glass during the day
When out and about, carry water with you
Take a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables; they have a high water content.
Abandon sugar-sweetened beverages. Substituting water for a 500ml sugar-sweetened soda will save you about 240 calories.
If you take alcohol, drink as much water as you do alcohol.
Avoid high sugar and high caffeine beverages because they can lead to increased urination
Although water is the major ingredient of all drinks, plain water is still the most effective way of replacing lost fluids.
The writer is a nutritionist